Dark Days and Stormy Skies
by sock-feet-and-stirring-sand
Summary: **ON HIATUS AND REWRITING IN PROGRESS**


In a lonely part of a blackened neighborhood, a dark-haired girl walked alone.

Night had fallen, and streetlights, flickering on and off occasionally, illuminated the sidewalk. The full moon hid behind thick purple clouds, causing shadowed places beside the road to seem even darker. Though it was an eerie feeling to be in that still, silent blackness, the girl didn't mind. There was a sense of peace in that quietness, something she didn't get often, and it was nice. Though Nicole always told her that it was dangerous being out by herself at night, especially in their crime scene of a neighborhood, Jess never listened. Nothing had ever happened, so why should it now?

Saying this is probably what doomed her.

The day started off bad enough. Heavy grey clouds had covered the sky ever since Jess had woken up, and by noon, it was hailing. Since then, the hail had stopped, but it was still cold, wet and miserable. And to make it even worse, the wind was howling, causing Jess' black hair (which never could stay neat anyways) to fly around her in a mess of tangles.

After walking a few dark blocks, Jess had had enough of being slowly frozen to death, so she turned around and headed back to her house. Well, actually, it technically wasn't _hers_; she was only staying with Nicole, her best friend, until Jess' missing mother was located. But, though she refused to tell anyone, Jess knew that her mom would never be found.

Five years ago, during the summer before second grade, Jess had come home from Nicole's to an empty house. This wasn't unusual, but as night fell and her mom hadn't come home, she began to worry. She was about to call her when, coming from the backyard, she heard screaming.

Rushing out the back door, she came across a horrible sight. Her mother lay in a crumpled heap near the rose bushes, and her usually pale skin was almost sheet white. The lightness of her skin, in contrast to a dark red wound on her forehead, made the gash seem that much worse.

Jess had run up to her, terrified, asking "What happened? What should I do?", but she wasn't told. Her mom had only screamed, "Don't worry about me, you have to get out of here!" She had been hesitant, but when she heard, "Jess, go!" she had to run. She had no idea where she was going to go, but she had hardly reached the gate when she heard an explosion behind her. Jess turned to see her whole yard going up in flames. The eight-year-old was scared to death, especially when she saw a massive fireball headed right at her head. She had no time to react, and the force of the fireball and the pain of her face burning knocked her out.

When she woke, people were peppering her with a million questions, most of them about what happened. "We were having dinner, and then... um... the chimney caught fire, I guess," she lied. "I must have blacked out from all the smoke. I have no idea where Mom went... I hope that she's not... you know... dead," she choked out. The last part was true, at least. No one was completely sure where Ms. Lewis had gone. Though Jess knew there was no way her mom could have made it out alive, she kept that to herself. As long as everyone still believed she was lost, Jess was in the custody of Nicole's sympathetic parents, who had agreed to take her in while her mother was being searched for.

It had been five long years, but her mother had never turned up. They had searched the ruined house from top to bottom, and interrogated the entire neighborhood, but it was no use.

Jess' old house, coincidentally, was on the way to Nicole's, and she came to it now. Since the fire, it had been fixed up and moved into. Now, with its colorful flowers, bright paint, lit windows, and a nice family living inside, it seemed much happier than when she had ever lived there. Ever since her dad had died from that horrible heart attack... No. She couldn't think about that now. It had been eight years since his death, and she had all but forgotten. Like her mother's "disappearance," the thought had changed from one she was constantly reminded of to just a memory in the back of her head. She shook the thought from her head and turned to keep going.

However, she found her path blocked by a strange man.

"Um, hello," she said awkwardly, caught off guard by his sudden appearance-where he stood had been empty just a moment ago. She nodded to him, then stepped back to let him pass. She was surprised when instead, he spoke to her. "Hello, Jessica," he said with a smirk. "Fancy seeing you here."

She jumped back, shocked that this stranger knew her name. "Who... who are you?"

"Ah. Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Malorn. I... you could say I was an old friend of your mother's."

"Oh. Well, hi..."

There was an awkward silence, and Jess was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the silence extended. Finally, she said, "Um... I really have to go. I'm expected home in a few minutes."

She was surprised when, instead of saying goodbye and letting her go, he grabbed her arm. "Where exactly _is _home, might I ask?"

She was frightened by this strange man. "Um... I shouldn't...It's... nearby. I really need to get home, like, right now, or my friend will be worried."

He didn't release her arm. "What about your parents?" he growled.

"Oh. Um, they'll be worried, too." She had a bad feeling about this stranger. And she wasn't about to tell him that both her parents were dead.

"Liar. I know what happened to your parents. Or at least your mother. I was there."

He gripped her arm tighter, making her attempts to get away pointless. "What do you want?" she whispered fearfully. "Why are you here?"

Leaning in so that his cold lips brushed her ear, he said, "It wasn't your mother I came for that night. It was you."

He grabbed her other arm. "All I ask is for you to come with me. If you are willing, I won't hurt you. But if you try to escape..."

"Why?" she asked. "What the hell do you want?" She thrashed in his arms. "Let me go!"

"Don't try to fight me. Your attempts are futile."

"LET GO OF ME."

He let go of her left arm, and she used her opportunity to punch him in the face. He yelled and momentarily let go of her other arm, but a moment was all the time she needed. She leapt away and sprinted towards Nicole's house. She didn't have much of a head start, but she might have enough time to get into the house and call the police...

All of a sudden, something hit her in the back of the head. She shrieked in pain and fell to her knees. Jess reached back and pulled a bloody dagger out of her head.

When she saw what was in her fingers, she swore, then almost puked. The blood loss and pain were making her sick and dizzy, and her vision was fading. She looked back, barely able to see the triumphant face of Malorn, then fell to the pavement. The last thing she remembered was a bright flash of light, then all was dark.


End file.
